Develop and Promote International Anti-Botnet Guide for the ICT Sector

Problem Statement:

Every single day, more than a billion dollars is lost to the world economy because of cybercrime, much of which is accomplished via botnets. The threat that botnets and other automated, distributed attacks pose to the internet and communications ecosystem has increased dramatically over time; more systems are vulnerable today than in any previous period of the internet’s history.

Malicious actors, including some nation states, use botnets and distributed attacks for a variety of nefarious purposes, including to overwhelm network resources; perpetrate scams and identity theft; steal sensitive personal information and intellectual property; spread infectious malware; defraud advertisers and other businesses; and even hold computer systems hostage for ransom. Like-minded governments throughout the world have called upon industry to take more aggressive action as part of a collective defense strategy.

CSDE members collaborate in this global effort to mitigate botnet attacks and other distributed attacks by implementing and promoting proven cost-effective solutions. However, the long-term security and resilience of the internet and communications ecosystem requires a global and holistic approach that involves the adoption of baseline security practices by stakeholders in many different countries, industries, and segments of the ecosystem. CSDE will actively engage with global government and industry partners to enhance the transactional integrity of the underlying digital economy.

Action Items:

CSDE will develop and promote a guide to anti-botnet baseline security practices for global ICT segments. To inform this guide, CSDE will analyze global practices to address the threat that botnet/distributed attacks pose to the resilience of the internet and communications ecosystem.

Action 1. Develop a compilation of effective technologies, tools, and common practices that have been shown to prevent and mitigate botnets and other distributed attacks.

Action 2. Produce an international anti-botnet guide of best practices related to education, detection, notification, remediation and collaboration for major ICT segments.

Action 3. Share the best practices with a broad spectrum of national and international stakeholders who are well-positioned to promote the Anti-Botnet Guide and further constructive engagement.

Impact Statement:

CSDE’s anti-botnet guide will engage the international stakeholder community in a united effort to dramatically reduce destructive botnet attacks. By establishing a common taxonomy aligned with baseline security practices, each segment can focus on segment-specific guidance that can drive observable and measurable security improvements. To the extent that the practices are adopted widely throughout the ecosystem, the threat of botnets can be significantly diminished.